Scarred (Home At Last)
by Madara-Baka
Summary: Sequel to TMK (READ TMK FIRST!). AU-ish, blood, cussing, violence. KakaxOC, SasuNaru. After two and a half years, Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke return to Konoha. Back to their teammate, Kioku Kimiko. Me. They've all grown stronger- they were training during their time away, after all. And they shouldn't be so surprised that I grew up without them, right? [gomen, bad summary!]
1. Chapter 1 Bipolar

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to the first chapter of the sequel to The Memory Keeper, titled 'Scarred [Home At Last] I hope you guys like this 3 Thanks to Lainjukinjs for helping with developing this and for picking out the song! Song is 'I'm Coming Home'.

**DISCLAIMER:** I still don't own Naruto. What a shame T/-\T I also don't own the song or the picture used for the cover. Credit goes to the original artist, and if I find out who it was who drew it I'll edit.  
**WARNINGS:** Cussing.

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.**  
**_This is what memories look like._**  
_This is what thoughts or letters look like._  
_'This is what song lyrics look like.' _

~SCARRED~

_'I'm coming home,_  
_I'm coming home._  
_Tell the world that_  
_I'm coming home._  
_Let the rain wash_  
_away all the pain  
of_ _yesterday.' _

~SCARRED~

_Dear Team Seven,_

_It's me. Again._

_Yes, yes, how annoying is this? Another letter from the one you left behind, the weak fucking link of this so-called team. It's funny how religiously I write these letters, knowing you won't read or reply to these stupid fucking things. I've developed such a potty mouth, ne? You would know this if you READ THE DAMN LETTERS. It's too late now, if you were wondering. At this point I'm not sending them anymore. I stopped after the first year. Which once again makes me question my fucking sanity, for I write letters to people who will not read them._

_You know, Tsunade-sama has been keeping me up to date on your whereabouts. Was that month long stay in Kumo nice? I sure hope so, 'cause Tsunade-sama told me that you're heading back towards Konoha and once you get here I will be giving you absolute hell over every little fucking thing that's bothered me the past two years and six months._

_I hate you so much._

_Leaving me here to grow up without you guys, while you're off training and being TOGETHER, being part of the team I don't feel like a part of anymore. And here I am, building myself up with blood and pain and tears in hopes that it'll actually change SOMETHING, anything, when you finally return. And growing up is hell, when it's forced and rapid and not even my choice, and especially because you three weren't there when it happened. At fourteen I punched a hole with Raikiri through a man's chest because he was trying to rip my throat out. It gave me such horrible flashbacks and nightmares of killing Dosu that I couldn't do any missions for three months, my nerves were too fried. My brothers were considering forcing me to quit being a ninja because I struggled so much with everything I did before I mastered those memory jutsus. They were afraid I'd be another Masao._

_But I'm still going on, because for however much I'm a bitch about everything and I'm always so Kami-damned doom-and-gloom filled, I still really can't wait for you to come back home. To Konoha. To me. I miss you. I wish I were with you all the time. I wish I could train along side you all again, so this dumb fucking aching in my chest will stop. I'm pretty bipolar too, yeah? Yeah. Like I said, if you'd read the letters this would be easier to take._

_I miss you three. You're my teammates, and I can only hope you miss me too and remember me as well as I remember you guys. Well, not like I do. This pesky 'memory keeper' thing is a blessing in one hell of a fucking disguise, because sometimes I can't see through said disguise and realize I'm lucky for having this ability. And I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Not a single person, not even that creepy fucker Orochimaru, which is definitely saying something._

_I used to get a warm feeling when I thought you would come back and be here when the year was up. Then once that year passed it subsided and was replaced by an ache, because I knew once that year passed there was nothing rushing you back to Konoha._

_I have to go now, though I've hit my stride and could go on for pages for pages. But that's why I start writing these Kami-forsaken things before I have to go do something (in this case, I have a poor, dumb asshole to torture because he claims he has some dirt on a human trafficking ring in Kiri)- so I don't talk too much. That'd annoy you three too much. Especially you, ne, Sasuke-kun?_

_See you soon. Hopefully._

_Kimi._

~SCARRED~

The three of them have changed so much, and that old, familiar ache starts in again. I'm perched atop my clan gates, watching as they approach. I take one last drag off my cigarette before standing, tossing it to the ground. Time for the chase to begin, huh?

~SCARRED~

"Hey, hey, 'ttebayo!" Naruto shouts, pointing forward. "There's her clan grounds. C'mon! Let's go!" He bounds forward to the gates. When there he bounces up and down in excitement, waiting impatiently for Sasuke and I to catch up.

"Looks like the gate's been repainted," I comment. And it does- the once faded red kanji was now a vivid blood-color, standing out against the rest of the gate.

Sasuke nods as we reach Naruto. "It does," he agrees quietly. We push the heavy wooden gates open and make our way up to the door of the main house. It was open, letting a slight breeze flow through the house. I raise my hand to knock on the wooden frame, but only seconds later her eldest brother appears. He's wearing a gray cotton yukata.

"Oh, hello! Welcome back! I'm sure you're looking for Kimi-chan?" He greets, smiling cheerily.

Naruto nods, jumping up and down in place with excitement. "Yeah! Where is she?" He asks.

Daichi chuckles. "You're excited, ne? Well, Kimi just left to go to the Hokage tower to go fill out some paperwork. Today's supposed to be her day off but she wanted to get it out of the way," he shrugs.

"What was it?" I ask, unable to stop my curiosity.

Daichi raises an eyebrow at this, like he's surprised we didn't already know. "She's applying to take the jonin test. You didn't know?"

"No, we didn't," Sasuke murmurs. I feel a little bit upset and ashamed, because as her teammates we should have known.

"It happens," he shrugs. "You guys might be able to catch her if you leave now. She only left a few minutes ago."

"Arigato for the help, Daichi-san," I tell him. "Come on, you two. Back to the Hokage tower we go."

~SCARRED~

This has been ridiculous.

We went back to the Hokage tower, where we encountered Ibiki. He told us that if we were looking for Kimi we missed her by about ten minutes and that she was heading to the Academy to drop something off for him before going on her merry way to do whatever it was she was going to do. So we went to the Academy. When we went there we encountered Iruka. After an adorable and extremely sappy reunion between him and Naruto he told us Kimi left and went to Ichiraku's. For what, he said he didn't know. But what we figured out that she likely knew we were back in Konoha and that she was humoring us.

That becomes clearer and clearer as the day wears on and hours pass. We go from Ichiraku's on a thirty minute hunt for Lee (finding him running around the entire city on his hands) at which point he informs us that we were extremely youthful and he was honoured to have such radiant and youthful companions. After another full thirty minutes of hearing the worst speech any of us had ever endured, this speech being about youthfulness and how to maintain one's youth, we manage to glean out enough information on her whereabouts to find she left to train with Neji for her jonin test.

We only find it because we hear the sound of crackling lightning. And what we see is far from what we were expecting.

Neji's hands are glowing with chakra. He was using Gentle Fist? This was highly dangerous just for training purposes, I marvel. Both he and who I can only assume is Kimi are darting around, an intense taijutsu battle going on between them. Hers glow with lightning chakra. Neither of them seem to being doing anything beyond dodging the other's attack.

They're not landing any hits, but they're moving so quickly that they look like blurred, glowing masses. Kimi's hands are moving quickly, and apparently she made a few handsigns because her hand glows with a sphere of fire.

Her fist brushes Neji's skin, taking him by surprise. Her palms glow with lightning mere seconds later, and she lands another hit before back flipping out of his reach. "Hamukau?" He questions as she jumps.

"Hai!" She says, darting forward again. She lands a third hit, but not before Neji's Gentle Fist brushes her left wrist. Her arm falls limp at her side. Those blue eyes, familiar and heartbreaking, flash with anger. She reaches out, her fingertips barely brushing his arm- and he freezes, eyes going wide and body still. She removes her hand and forms a few onehanded signs. A crackling cage made of bright blue lightning rises from the ground, manacles encircling Neji's ankles and wrists. He blinks twice and jerks, only to realize that he was trapped.

"That was ingenious, but should be considered cheating," he states, "And I was holding back."

She chuckles, smirking. "Ne, don't be such a sore loser, Neji-kun. And yeah, I know you were," she tells him, reaching out with a gloved finger. She pokes his nose, much to our extreme shock. She was never like this two and a half years ago, not even remotely close to being playful like this. The lightning manacles dissipate, and Neji stands up straight. He presses a hand to where she hit him with fire, his shoulder. His skin was burnt.

"KIMI-CHAN!" Naruto screams, running forward. He jumps and tackles her, and if it hadn't been for the fact she was prepared for this and knew we were looking in on her training session, she would have fallen down from the force. He's clinging to her like he's a monkey. "Ne, ne, Kimi-chan 'ttebayo! You're still taller than me! Like Sasuke-teme's height! And your hair is longer and- wow! Hey, where'd you get those weird scars on your face?"

She cocks her head to the side, red-black hair fluttering around her shoulders, taking Naruto's appearance in. She's pretty tall, as Naruto said, maybe only half an inch shorter than Sasuke. That's when I take notice of the scars Naruto was talking about. There are three jagged, parallel lines of pink etched into her skin, starting mid-cheek and trailing down to her collar bone. They were the only imperfections on her otherwise aesthetically pleasing face. Cat-like eyes the same ice-blue color. High cheekbones, slightly curved nose, doll-like lips. Her skin was flushed but obviously a more natural color when in comparison to the sickly pale shade it was before. "Oh," she says, "thanks for that wonderful compliment. I got them a few months after you guys left. Of course, you'd know that if you **_read the damn letters_**."

~SCARRED~

Scar:  
n. 1. A mark left on the skin after a surface injury or wound has healed. 2. A lingering sign of damage or injury, either mental or physical: potentially causing nightmares or anxiety.

Scarred:  
v. scarred, scar·ring, scars . 1. To mark with a scar. 2. To leave lasting signs of damage on.

~SCARRED~

TA-DA.

If you enjoyed this chapter please let me know! I'm only hoping that it was not disappointing.

This sequel will go much further in-depth than TMK did, especially in terms of what the team thinks of each other and how they react to one another. And much deeper into their mental states. I'm excited to write it :D like I said above, let me know what you think!

Oh, and before I forget- I am taking on a third fanfic. No OCs this time around, and it'll be yaoi. The main pairing will be MadaPein, with a few others within the Akatsuki. It's AU, set modern day in an unnamed country and they're not ninjas or anything. I have pretty much all of this story planned out so it'll hopefully come out easier. The first chapter will be posted tomorrow. It's titled 'Believe In Me'.

Anyway, that's all I have to say. Love you kiddies 3


	2. Chapter 2 Storyteller

Hey, Hi, Hello.

Welcome to chapter two of Scarred. It's titled 'Storyteller', as I'm sure you can tell. I really, really hope you enjoy it 3 Song? A7X.

**DISCLAIMER:** I still don't own Naruto. What a shame T/-\T I also don't own the song or the picture used for the cover. Credit goes to the original artist, and if I find out who it was who drew it I'll edit.  
**WARNINGS:** Cussing.

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.**  
**_This is what memories look like._**  
_This is what thoughts or letters look like._  
_'This is what song lyrics look like.' _

~SCARRED~

_'Come back again,  
it's almost easy...' _

~SCARRED~

Naruto seems dismayed, I marvel. His big blue eyes are gazing up at me, and he's still clinging to me. "'Ttebayo...g-gomennasai..." he murmurs, eyes watering up. Immediately I feel guilt surge through me. Not even five minutes after being reunited and he was already crying because of me. And here I was, thinking that our reunion would go well.

"Naruto-kun, it's okay," I tell him. I raise one hand and pet his hair, the other lifting so I could properly hug him. He hugs back, seeming happier. "Ne, you've gotten taller, too." That was true, he had grown. He was taller than before, his face and body matured. But yeah, I was still taller.

He releases me from the hug, grinning. "Of course I did, 'ttebayo!" I smile at him, and then turn to Neji. I gesture for him to extend his arm out. Then I press a hand to his wound and let healing chakra flood through. Once his arm is healed enough he gives me a grateful smile, pats my head and disappears. Normally we would discuss what I needed to work on more, but seeing as how there was a reunion waiting to happen he departed. We'd talk about it later.

Then I turn to the three before me. Without a word, I step forward. First, to Sasuke. I hug him, just a little shocked when he hugs back. It was the first time I ever actually hugged him. Then I release him and move to Kakashi. I hug him, too, staying there a few seconds longer. He smelled of rainwater and soap- familiar, like he did when I was still twelve and he hugged me at the chunin exams. I release him, too, and step back so I can see all three of them. "I missed you."

"As we missed you," Kakashi says, and Naruto nods vigorously. Sasuke doesn't do much of anything but the simple fact he hugged me back instead of pushing me away showed he agreed, to an extent.

"Well," I state, "We have a lot of catching up to do. So let's go."

~SCARRED~

We make it to my clan grounds quickly. I show the boys to living room, make my excuses to go take a shower, and I do just that. Ten minutes later I'm dressed in my standard outfit, minus the trench coat and boots. My standard outfit consists of the following- black tanktop, clan flak jacket, black trench coat with sleeves rolled up to my elbows. Shorts ending just above my knees, black boots, bandage wrapped wrists and gloves with Velcro straps. Perhaps a bit strange, but that was what I was comfortable in and therefore my normal outfit. The boys were still waiting patiently, all turning to face me as I entered.

The doors and windows are all opened, letting air flow through the house. My fingers twitch to the top pocket of my flak jacket, where my cigarettes resided alongside my lighter. I felt the craving rising up, reminding me that I only had two cigarettes today. In all honesty, I was trying to quit. It wasn't working. I ignore the urge and sit down across from Sasuke and Kakashi. There's a few seconds of silence before I speak up. "So, tell me of your adventures."

Sasuke talks this time. "For every story we tell you, you have to give us one of your own."

I nod, accepting his terms. "I suppose I'll go first-" A knock sounds on the open front door, and I lean slightly back in my seat so I could see who was knocking. It was some recently turned chunin messenger, looking quite unsure of himself. "Hai?" I ask, standing from my seat and walking to the door.

"Message from Hokage-sama," he says, holding out a letter. I take it from him and thank him. He nods, smiles tightly and disappears, likely anxious to finish up his day and get home. The sun already set, and stars decorated the sky. It was pretty late, I was exhausted and I bet the others were too. So I settle down back into my seat, take the letter out of the envelope and read its contents aloud.

"'To Team 7: At eight in the morning tomorrow, be at Training Ground 32. You'll receive further instruction from there. Come prepared. From, Tsunade-sama.' Well, fuck. I don't want to go," I declare, tossing the letter toward my teammates. Naruto catches it as I stand again, hand reaching into the top pocket of my flak jacket. I stand in the frame of the front door, leaning against the side. I withdraw a cigarette and my little metal lighter, letting the cigarette hang from my lip as I light it. I had no self-control whatsoever when I was feeling stressed out and wanted to smoke, it seemed.

I suck in a deep breath, filling my lungs with smoke. I hold it in for a few seconds longer than necessary and the tension in my shoulders is gone almost immediately. My fingers don't feel as twitchy, either. For however much I wanted to stop smoking, it sure calmed my nerves and soothed me. I release the breath and exhale, feeling their eyes on me. "Sorry, picked it up from Tonbo and Asuma-sensei. Can't seem to let it go," I explain, shrugging my shoulders. "Now, let's see. . . Ah, I know."

"Just this past year I was picked as a proctor for the chunin exams. Part one, as it were. Ibiki was still overseeing it, though he kept hidden. This one gaki from Kusa was particularly problematic," I inform them, only pausing to take a drag from my cigarette. "He couldn't take me seriously. Said I was the same age he was and he could take me down because of it. So I informed him of my time in the exams. Told him how I won because I cornered my opponent in a pool of water and electrocuted him so badly his face slid off. Freaked him out quickly. Your turn." Another drag, holding my breath in, and finally exhaling.

"Maa..." Kakashi-sensei mumbles. "Ano, once when we were in a little village Jiraiya was up to his usual antics, staring into the women's side of the hot springs. He got caught by a woman whose husband was in the male side. He was a jonin-level and chased all four of us out of the village . I lost about an inch of hair from one of his fire jutsus. This was about three months after our departure, I think."

That makes me laugh. Naruto joins in, and Sasuke smirks a little bit. I take yet another drag off of my cigarette. It was almost gone, too, just two or three drags left. I exhale. "Ne, Kakashi-sensei, I'm surprised you didn't dodge!"

He looks indignant at this. He hasn't really changed much, not like Naruto and Sasuke have. He still had that same closed-eye smile and playful tone. And his hair had recovered from the fire attack, it seemed. "Hey, I was dodging the rest of his attacks!"

I scoff playfully at him, replying, "Sure you were, sensei... Anyway, my next story is..."

~SCARRED~

_Dear Team Seven,_

_Hi._

_This is the first letter I've written to you three. You left just over a week and a half ago, and I figure that's an appropriate time to start this letter thing. And I realize I'd be the one to initiate it because Naruto isn't too responsible and would likely forget, Kakashi-sensei would take forever like he always does, and I doubt Sasuke is interested enough in writing a letter to me or anybody for that matter to actually do so, so...yeah. Anyway, the point of letters are to talk about what's happened since the last time we've seen each other, right? So that's what I'll do._

_There's really not much for me to talk about, because it's only been a week and a half and not much has changed. I finished up physical therapy two days ago. I can move my arms and fingers again without agonizing pain in them. It's still a bit uncomfortable, and while not necessarily painful, a bit ache-y because of the new scar Ibiki-sama gave me. My skin feels a bit tighter. I guess that's the word for it. I've also done an interrogation, and it was pretty interesting. The girl I was interrogating was around fifteen, I think, and she had blue hair. That's all I can tell you about that. Oh, and tomorrow I'll be leaving on a mission with a few others to escort someone to a village on the outskirts of Kaze no Kuni. I don't know why they picked me, but oh well. Said mission is the reason that I'm writing this letter out now, because I'm not sure how long I'll be gone and I don't want to keep you waiting or anything._

_I'm sorry, because I apparently suck at writing letters. It's kinda awkward, seeing as how the last letter I ever wrote was to Daichi after he left, and before he even was supposed to come home. I was five and didn't understand the mechanics of letter writing, but it was still easier to write that than it is writing this. And there's the fact that this letter is to three different people, and it's a little bit strange referring to all three of you individually and then at other times, collectively. As a...team. Cause that's what you are, right? Whatever. It already feels like you three have been gone a year. When you reply, make sure to tell me all about your adventures. I'm sure they're much more interesting than mine are. Please send a picture, too, if you can. I'd like to see some of what you're seeing. In return, if you want, I'll send some pictures too. Only if you care, though, because I don't see a point taking the time to photograph something, get the film developed and then get an envelope to fit the picture (because no way am I folding it, that would annoy Sasuke too much to receive a folded up picture) if you don't even care in the first place._

_Well. I guess this is the end of my letter. Write back soon, okay?_

_Kimi._

_PS- Tsunade-sama says there might be a little bit of trouble sending them sometimes because of the need of the messenger birds being in high demand right now. So if I ever take too long to reply or I never reply at all, that's probably why._

~SCARRED~

TA-DA.

The second chapter is done, and shorter than the first because not only do I have a whole lot of writing to do for, say, Indebted, but I also didn't want to start any of the main events of chapter three in this chapter. I hope you enjoy this, anyway, and expect some more story sharing and letters in the next chapters!


	3. Chapter 3 The Difference

Hey, Hi, Hello.

I still really need to come up with a new greeting, this one is getting annoying and repetitive...

Welcome to the third chapter of 'Scarred'. I don't have much to say, besides giving an apology for the time this chapter took to have out. Other than that, not much. I hope you enjoy it! Song is 'Proffessional Griefers' by deadmau5 ft. Gerard Way. Thank you for picking out the song, Laine ^/.\^

**DISCLAIMER:** I stillllllll don't own Naruto. And I don't own this song, either.  
**WARNINGS:** Cussing, a bit of blood, and, le gasp- mentioned/hinted SasuNaru! :D

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.  
****_This is what memories look like.  
_**_This is what thoughts or letters look like.  
'This is what song lyrics look like.' _

~SCARRED~

_'Gimme the sound, to see_  
_Another world outside that's full of_  
_All the broken things that I made_  
_Just give me a life, to plea_  
_Another world outside that's full of_  
_All the awful things that I made...'_

~SCARRED~

Overture to everlasting peace...

That is what I feel is happening to me now. Or, rather, what I should be feeling, to an extent. Rain pours down upon the ground, clouds purging themselves of all rain within. The sky looks as dark and violent as Masao's eyes used to when he was in his moods. The shading is so exact, so fucking close to them that it brings me back to the scar covering the distance between my left shoulder and the tip of my right middle finger. The scar wasn't made entirely by him, but the majority of it was. So why, if I was thinking of something that normally upset me, was I feeling like I should be rather...euphoric?

Because they were back.

It's around six thirty in the morning, and I am standing on my front porch, staring out into the world. A cigarette dangles from my finger, wisps of smoke escaping into the early morning air. I raise it to my lips, take a deep drag, and lower it. I hold my breath for a few minutes before exhaling slowly. The cigarette is done, so I toss it into a small trash bin on my way back inside. The air is warm within my home, my skin adjusting to the temperature change as I cross the floor to my bedroom. I reach the door and pull it open, closing it behind me. If I got dressed now and woke the boys up we'd be able to have breakfast before leaving.

~SCARRED~

I wasn't surprised to find Sasuke and Naruto cuddled together.

The room is dark and the only light comes from the one in the hallway. Sasuke's arm is circling Naruto's hip, the latter's arms folded together between their chests. They look adorable together, I marvel, simply observing them. They were already stirring, Naruto's blue eyes slipping open. They flicker over to me, his cheeks quickly burning with a blush and eyes lighting up with fear. Like he thought I wouldn't accept them. Did he not trust me anymore? Sasuke's own orbs are now open too, gazing steadily at me. Gauging my reaction.

I smirk at them, murmuring, "Wake up, you two." Then I turn, closing the door behind me. My heart sinks a little bit in my chest, a bittersweet happiness filling me. At least they had each other, right?

Right.

~SCARRED~

_Dear Team Seven,_

_I must admit- I'm confused and a bit hurt._

_It's been two months. This is the fifth letter I've written, and I haven't received a single reply. I don't know what to think, and why I haven't. Are you guys okay? Are you hurt? Have you not been getting these letters? Do you think I'm not sending them and don't care about keeping contact with you? Or, worse yet, do you three not care?_

_All of those possibilities make my head hurt. My stomach gets a strange, heavy feeling and my heart sinks in my chest. Is this feeling dread? Emotional pain? I don't think either of those words are quite right to describe it. I'll tell you when I figure it out._

_Anyway, I have an interrogation to do. I didn't intend for this letter to be too long, so I only gave myself a handful of minutes to write it. So goodbye, and all that. Please write back soon, if only to ease my mind and keep that feeling at bay._

_Kimi._

~SCARRED!

Promptly at eight o'clock that morning we arrive at the appointed training ground. It took quite a bit of underhanded tricks and convincing Kakashi-sensei it was an entire hour later than it actually was to get him out of the house, but Naruto, Sasuke and I managed to get him out and going at a reasonable time. Tsunade-sama is already there, with Shizune-san and Tonton. When we arrive Tsunade-sama smirks and states, "Surprisingly enough, you four are on time."

"Ne, ne, Tsunade-baa-chan! What are we gonna do?" Naruto asks, unnaturally happy for how early it was.

"Simple," she says, "you're going to fight against Kimi, so I can see how you have developed as ninja. Your goal is to get the bells."

These words are directed towards the three boys. I smile briefly, catching the three silver bells Shizune threw at me. My eyes follow them as they sail through the air, flying in a smooth arc and landing in my palm. They jingle in the early morning air. Naruto's grinning brightly, jumping up and down and rocking on the balls of his feet. Sasuke is as cool and confident as ever, looking pretty badass in his outfit. He wore a gray, high collared zip-up shirt with black pants and sandals. He carried a katana with him and the Uchiha symbol was emblazoned upon his back. Naruto's own outfit was an offensive orange and black ensemble, fitting his exuberant and orange-loving personality perfectly. Kakashi-sensei looked the same as before.

"Do your best not to cause too much property damage," Tsunade-sama warns. With those words she's disappeared, along with Shizune and Tonton. The four of us look at each other. Kakashi has his last issue of Icha Icha still in hand. He snaps it close and puts it in his pouch.

"Well," he states, "Are you four ready?"

I almost roll my eyes. "You're putting the book up this time?"

"Yep," he tells me, cheerily. He was serious about this, now, it seemed. Not serious enough to get the Sharingan out, though, which upset me a bit. Oh well- he will see that he'll need it. I glance at my teammates. Sasuke is still smirking, while Naruto has that same determined look he wore all the time, back when we were put onto Team Seven together.

I let a little bit of chakra stream into my palms, creating an invisible edge. The edge was razor sharp and, if I released more, would be glowing brightly with lightning. This would be at least a bit enjoyable.

Naruto is the first to move, diving to attack me. I lift my arms up and form an 'x' with them, successfully catching him and stopping the kunai from hitting my face. I use leverage to push his arms away, letting the chakra flow to my hands increase. I smirk to myself and dip under the path of his foot. I grab the ankle of the clone and throw it into a tree. It dispels, a plume of smoke appearing.

Another one appears rapidly, throwing kunai. Those are dodged easily, my body moving fluidly. Yet another clone appears from behind, moving to hold me in place. I let more chakra flood in, my palms now glowing with lightning. I hit Naruto's clone across the face with a heavy punch and it fades. Naruto jumps back to stand next to the other two boys.

"Impatient as ever, Naruto-kun," I mock, smirking. He's gingerly touching his cheek, the phantom pain from the electrically charged punch to his clone's face clearly bothering him. I don't have time to say anything else, because Sasuke is drawing his katana. It swings in a smooth arc, heading straight for my face. At the last second I duck easily. My surroundings flicker almost imperceptibly, the Sharingan generated jutsu taking place rapidly. Did he take me for stupid?

One handseal later and I'm moving again, just barely dodging a shuriken heading for my stomach. Sasuke, his eyes growing wide for the smallest second, relaxes his stance and moves to his place back at Naruto's side. They share a glance and disappear into the trees, their chakra signatures rapidly fading as they ran south, away from Konoha. It was like they were testing me- first taijutsu, then a little bit of taijutsu blended with genjutsu. So it was Kakashi's turn now, and for ninjutsu. This would be fun.

I am the first to move this time, my hands almost blurring as I made the proper and very well rehearsed seals. Ox, rabbit, monkey. Raikiri, one of the jutsus created by Kakashi himself. Within the space of seconds I am across the field and pushing Kakashi into one of the trees, one hand knotted on his vest and the other pressed to the tree itself. Raikiri crackling away in my palm, a refined mass of chakra that was a centimeter from damaging: him. On purpose, of course.

I finally let part of my pure fury free, it bleeding through and poisoning my words. "You'd better take me seriously, **sensei**," I mutter. This last part is mockingly stated, an emphasis placed upon the final word. I release his vest and swing my fist upwards, clipping his jaw. He twists in my grip, sliding out of the space between me and the tree upon being released. I pull all the chakra from Raikiri as I possibly could back in, shivering slightly at the feeling. Then I duck under a few kunai Kakashi sent my way.

I turn to face him, feeling fury build up in my chest. This was fucking ridiculous, the shocked look on his face- I wasn't the same damned weakling I was two and a half years ago. I would be taking up the position of jonin within days, and I was definitely ready for it. Quicker than most could follow I have dashed forward and punched my 'sensei' in the stomach with a portion of my power behind it. His eyes widen in shock at the force and the lack of hesitation I had when it came to hurting him. I knew he could have dodged that. But because he doubted that I would try to hurt him he didn't even fucking bother.

He would be regretting that.

A taijutsu battle ensues. He's yanked his hitae-ate up, his Sharingan blazing the color of blood. I am fueled by anger, at everything he has done. I owe him much, but somehow at the same time he is the one who has to make things up to me. Like not being there.

I hit him straight in the stomach and don't stop, hitting and punching and kicking at him until he has to withdraw. When he does, jumping backgrounds and landing crouched, one hand pressed to his stomach, I still feel like I am filled to the brim with fury. A quick once-over of his form reveals he had few injuries, bruises only, and the majority of the damage was to his stomach. I was blocked most often, as was he, only a few blows on either side breaking through. That makes me feel proud of myself, of all the training and missions I survived. I withstood one of the people I sought to defeat, even managed to cause some damage. And that in itself was something amazing for me.

~SCARRED~

I have been participating in this game of cat and mouse for quite a while now, and it seemed to finally be coming to a close.

We started this test almost an entire day ago and we have yet to completely stop. The three of them are before me quickly, preparing to attack. I remain blank-faced and form five hand seals. Tenka- a jutsu I created, lightning combined with fire that burned with such intensity that anything it touched sustained extreme damage. It was easily my most destructive stand-alone jutsu.

The three of them are all shocked. They seem to be doing that a lot lately, being visibly surprised at one of my actions or a characteristic I've developed. We all had changed so much, the two groups (me on my own and those three with Jiraiya-sama) evolving so far apart and with no contact between us that when we came together we had problems acting like we were actually on the same team before. No, they were so heartbreakingly close knit with me feeling like I was on the fringes, intruding, and being so incredibly angry and hurt and denying myself of showing a large part of that emotion. Because I didn't want to disrupt them or break apart what they had even more than I was by simply being here.

I could really use a mission far away from here for at least a couple of weeks, or preferably overseeing the interrogation of some poor fuck. Interrogations generally smoothed my feelings out, helped me think, so if I had ample time after this I would go ask Ibiki-sama if he had anything for me. But back to the fight, yes?

Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san were approaching at a relatively leisurely pace, and would be arriving on scene within a few minutes. They had been watching carefully from farther back. The boys knew this- that's why they were increasing their efforts. They thought they could get the bells, which were secured carefully to my vest, within their allotted time limit.

Not a chance in any hell would they be getting the fucking bells from me.

I could easily recall the fight so far- the mini battle with Kakashi, another between all of us (during which I used the same sort of dirty tricks I did when training with Neji, like throwing up mental blocks in their heads), then just Naruto and Sasuke, and then the three of them individually before where we were. I inflicted my fair share of damage. I hit Naruto in the face so hard he bled from the mouth, the shoulder of Sasuke's was burnt from hamukau, and my Tenka just barely grazed Kakashi and took off some bandages and a bit of skin on his leg. I had bruises and a cut on my stomach from kunai. That was it.

My gaze flickers between them. Naruto is tense and determined, his expression similar to those of the others. "You have one minute before they arrive," I verbally note, watching the muscles in Naruto's fingers flex. They twitch lightly, as he wants to take the bells. "Now forty five seconds..."

A blurred shape darted forward and I raised my hand, my entire fist looking like fire and lightning swirling around, a molten violet in color. As he dodges another of them attack and I am suddenly surrounded by the three of them. It's like fighting with Neji when he is using Gentle Fist, twisting and turning and moving my body in such positions that if I weren't so flexible, as ninjas are, I would have broken approximately half of the bones in my body. Except for triple the stress of it, even more incredible ducking, avoiding and attacking maneuvers. I can't hold up for long, not in this state of chakra expenditure and with all three of them attacking. Good thing I don't need to, not for more than the next five seconds-

"Alright, you four, time is up."

We separate instantly, the boys standing together and me on my own. I unhook the bells and toss them to Shizune-san, relaxing my posture carefully. I keep my gaze flickering between all of them, from Tsunade-sama and Shizune to Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi. Tsunade-sama turns to me first. "Kimi-san, you performed exceptionally well and showed your skill level to be that of a jonin. Do you have anything to say?"

"Arigato, Tsunade-sama. And hai, I do. If Kakashi hadn't held back, for whatever reason he did, he very well could have obtained the bells. But he did. Honestly, it's highly offensive and insulting to both me and my abilities to know he did hold back when engaging in combat with me. Why he did, which I suspect was because he felt that it wouldn't be necessary or he was underestimating me, I don't know and I don't want to. As for Sasuke and Naruto, they did attempt, to the best of their abilities that the situation called for, to retrieve the bells. And if all three had been doing such and attacked at the same time one of them could have secured them."

~SCARRED~

Done!

There you go. Please comment and vote.


	4. Chapter 4 Between Us

Konnichiwa ^/.\^

This is chapter four! Sorry about the wait, I've been super busy and only able to write little bits at a time. But now I am done, cause I got a day off school! So here y'all go- please enjoy it, and share your opinion.

**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto, even after all this time xD **WARNINGS:** Maa, was gonna make this chapter super angsty but then someone/thing got suggested and this became more of an introductory chapter. So, yeah xD

**This is what memories look like.**

~SCARRED~

_'Be yourself, by yourself.'_

~SCARRED~

In, out. In, out. That's how his chest falls, breath rattling in his chest with the effort it took. A thin line of blood trickled from his lips, and those two simple observations were the only signs that he was slowly nearing death. If I were a bit more merciful I would have left him be, told Ibiki to have someone else do this interrogation, but I am not. I am cruel and wrathful and I need something, or someone, to take my anger out on. So I straighten my shoulders and march into the interrogation room. The door shuts loudly behind me and he jerks, arms straining against his bonds as his head swivels up.

I take a seat in the chair across the table from him. He watches me carefully, a meausured look of wariness in his eyes. I gaze at him, analyzing him quickly and efficiently. "You know," I begin, "it would be much less troublesome if you just told us what you know."

He glares at me, probably having dismissed me as not very threatening. "Yeah, your point?"

I chuckle softly, my lips twisting upwards in a somewhat-smile. "Maa, you seem determined. No worries, we here at the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force are well known for being able to break people down rather quickly. And you've only been here for what, three days? We have plenty of time."

He's visibly losing his collectiveness now, his shoulders tensing up as he pulls futily against his restraints. He looks like he's trying hard not to react to my implications. He's about to reply, but I efficiently cut him off. "Let's get to know each other. My name is Kioku Kimiko. I have been a member of this organization for the past two years, eight months and two weeks. I have conducted thirty three interrogations on my own since, and assisted in sixty two. This will be the sixty third. I have also killed a total of ninety eight people in that same time period, as well as one beforehand. And you could very well be the lucky ninety ninth."

He looks sufficiently afraid for his life now. And for good reason- I, however, am not done. "And you- you are Takahashi Nao, a ninja from the village known as Takigakure, and you are going to tell me everything you know."

He raises an eyebrow. "Really?"

I smile crookedly. "Really."

~SCARRED~

"You want me to do what?"

"Be the representative for the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force," Ibiki states, calm as ever. "The Academy has a career day, of sorts, and we need to send somebody." We are in the debriefing room, the man I'd just finished interrogating visible through a one-sided mirror. I've only recently emerged from the room, the glove of my hand still sticky with his blood. He wasn't in such a bad state, considering that I had been in not such a good mood before entering.

I pause slightly. If he wanted me to do it then that's what I would do. "When is it?"

Ibiki smiles slightly, happy that I would be attending. He knew I accepted from my asking when it was. "This afternoon in your old sensei's classroom. Be there at 12:30. Thanks, kid."

I wave my hand dismissively, ignoring the trail of warm blood trickling to my wrist. "No problem. See you later."

~SCARRED~

"MAKOTO!"

A slight pause, then the sound of paws upon the floor. Within moments my Makoto appears, a wolfish grin upon his face. He pads up to me and nudges me with his muzzle, saying, "I'm ready!"

"Good. Thanks for doing this, Mako," I reply, leaning down and petting his head. His fur was soft, having been recently forced into a bath and intense coat brushing. It was silky soft to the touch and a rust-red, some shade akin to blood. Though slightly morbid it was still a beautiful coat.

"No problem, Kimi-oujo," he tells me, nudging my hand with his nose. His silent way of asking for his nose to be itched. I comply with his request and drag my blunt nails across the top ridge of his muzzle, back and forth a few times. He lifts his head ever so slightly, clear amber eyes sliding closed. Once I am done he licks my hand, telling me, "Thanks, oujo."

"You're welcome," I reply, letting my hand brush the top of his head as we walk. Makoto was a big dog- his head reached my bellybutton, his entire body made up of powerful muscles. His threatening appearance, the blood-colored fur, orange eyes and muscled body did nothing to reveal his personality. He was, essentially, as childish as Naruto or even Kiba. Even so, he was the best ninken I could ever hope for. He wore a hitae-ate around his neck and a black vest with various weapons he could utilize in the pockets.

At five minutes to 12:30 PM we appear within the doorway of Iruka-sensei's classroom. Kotetsu and Izumo are there, clearly finishing up their portion. I was just in time. I smile; that was good. Since Ibiki-sama only told me about an hour ago, I had been slightly concerned about making it on time, especially with the time it took to wash Makoto and brush his fur.

Kotetsu and Izumo finish up, answering the last of the questions. They thank the class for listening and exit, greeting me with a wave and Makoto with fond pets to the head, which definitely pleased him, on the way. Makoto really enjoyed being pet. Iruka-sensei looks to me, smiling softly. "Kimi-san, Makoto-san," he greets warmly, the class turning to face me. I scan them quickly before turning to Iruka.

"Iruka-sensei, nice to see you," I reply, smiling. He ushers me in and I move to stand in front of his desk. Others are in here, including people I know. Like Asuma-sensei.

"Class, this is Kioku Kimiko from the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force and her ninken, named Makoto. Give them your full attention and be respectful. Please give a small introduction of yourselves, describing how you got to this point. Then tell about what you do," he says, the last part directed to us. Then he moves off to the side, sitting by the window. I lean back against Iruka's desk and survey the kids. Their eyes are wide, narrowed in on Makoto. He is, in return, watching them and carefully sniffing the air. He begins patrolling up and down the aisles, sniffing each student politely as he passed. There's silence for a few moments. Then I speak.

"Hello," I greet them, "as Iruka-sensei said, my name is Kioku Kimiko and I am here from the Torture and Interrogation Force. I am not exactly sure as to what information about myself I should share, so I will simply give a basic overview."

"I'm sixteen years old and graduated from the Academy at twelve. I was teamed with Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi as our sensei. About four months into our teams, the chunin exams came around. I passed the written exam with flying colors, as did Sasuke. Naruto didn't answer a single question. We fought against many during the second round, and very well could have died, had it not been for our apparent luck. We made it through with several injuries, most of them mine because for several days my teammates were incapacitated. One of the former sannin, Orochimaru, invaded during this. He targeted Sasuke because of his Sharingan and almost killed Naruto and I. Some of his henchmen attacked as well, when both Sasuke and Naruto were unconscious. That's when I got a large portion of my injuries. During the preliminaries of the third round there was an uneven amount of participants that year, and one had to go twice. I fought that person- his name was Dosu, the leader of Orochimaru's undercover team. Through the use of taijutsu, a water summoning scroll and my chakra affinity, lightning, won the round. He died."

"When time came for the final part, I forfeited. I was still promoted to chunin, being the only of my team, and the head of the Torture and Interrogation Force approached me. His name is Morino Ibiki. I demonstrated several abilities that showed me to have lots of potential for that particular field. He offered me a position and I accepted. Then the invasion by Suna occured, the Sandaime was killed and a new Hokage was being sought after. Two members of a notorious criminal organization, the Akatsuki, arrived in Konoha to retrieve information on the Kyuubi. My sensei, along with two other elite jonin, approached them. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and fell victim to the Tsukuyomi of Uchiha Itachi. I woke up much later with help from the current Hokage, Tsunade-sama. Not long after my teammates left Konoha to train, once my training was complete. They have only recently returned. I am currently about to participate in the jonin examination. Any questions before I move on?"

There is one. I indicate the child, a snowy-haired boy with vivid blue eyes. He lowers his hand and asks, "What was Tsukuyomi like?"

I flash a smile. "My very worst nightmare. Now, for how I met Makoto..."

~SCARRED~

_** Kuso!**_

_** Another kunai, barely dodged, ducking under a tree branch and moving as fast as I could manage with a 130-lb body slung over my shoulder and blood trailing down my leg from contact with a poisoned shuriken I failed to dodge. The blood is warm and soaking my pants, reminding me that I was in some serious trouble.**_

_** Deciding running through the trees was no longer advantageous, I let myself plummet down through the trees. My teammate, a fellow chunin by the name of Shio, would be out for at least the next ten minutes, having been hit by poison sooner than I. And I only had about five before I would be paralyzed and fall unconscious. This would be the perfect time for someone to come along and help.**_

_** And not a moment too soon did that thought cross from my mind, because a massive dog with fur like blood and animalistic eyes comes barreling through the trees, examining me as if I were a threat. All I can do is say the first words that came through my head. "Help me."**_

_** My voice is low with exertion and desperation. "Help me," I repeat. "Please. I know you understand me. I will repay you."**_

_** My opponents locate me. I hear them landing on the ground behind me, the five of them all wielding weapons. I couldn't fight them or outrun them. This dog before me is my last hope. He glances at me, at Shio's unconscious form, the people behind me, and then back to me. A slight jerk of his head. I feel relief course through me. I had two minutes left.**_

_** I move to the side, going into the forest a few yards before setting Shio down against the tree. I check his pulse and do a sweep to make sure he wasn't bleeding or injured. Then I fall back against the tree next to him. My vision is wavering and I can hear the distinct sounds of fighting. I cannot move anything anymore, my limbs impossibly heavy. The last thing I hear before falling unconscious is a vicious snarl and scream.**_

~SCARRED~

"So Makoto essentially saved my life," I finish. Makoto has finished his rounds through the room, and has gone to the back to acquire treats from any of those who had them. He gets some from Iruka, as well as bits of food others had with them. I smile at him. "Isn't that right, Mako?"

He looks over at me. "Yeah, Kimi-oujo," he says, and the head of every child swivels around to stare at him wide-eyed as he spoke. His voice was deep and rumbled in his chest. I chuckle. He looks at them, stating, "Well, anyone have any more treats? I'm pretty hungry."

I raise an eyebrow. "Oh, Mako... alright. While he's collecting treats I will continue. Please make an effort to listen. Now, for all the stuff I do. As a chunin, I have done nearly every single job available, or worked with others that have the jobs I haven't. Gate duty, missions office, assissting the recordskeeping office, helping out the intelligence divisions, going out on countless missions, acting as a proctor during the Exams, running errands for the Hokage, all sorts of things. Even working in some of the shops, doing pretty mundane shit. But my main job is with the Torture and Interrogation Force."

"I have been a part of it for two years, eight months and two weeks, to the day. I mentioned earlier that I exhibited qualities making me perfect for it. One of them would be my kekkai genkai, bloodline ability. I have a perfect memory. I notice everything that a human is capable of picking up on, and have been doing so since I was a newborn. Like how the kid who asked me about Tsukuyomi fed Makoto a riceball left over from his lunch or how the boy in the back there is younger than the rest of you. Because of this, I can read others with ease. So in the course of an interrogation this clearly becomes of great use. I have performed multiple interrogations by myself. Training for this position included being subjected to many of the torture methods performed on those interrogated, as a final test of sorts. I can't go into detail about any interrogation I was present during except for the one I was the subject of..."

~SCARRED~

**_ I snarl, "Not a fucking chance!"_**

**_ Another chuckle. "Oh, you'll change your mind. Trust me." His hand darts out, the kunai now pressed against my shoulder, right on top of my scar. He presses it closer until blood wells up, visceral against my pale skin. He drags it downwards. I scream out, as loud as can. He was pulling it downwards painfully slow, extending it further past the original end point to the tip of my broken middle finger. Of course, when he hits the broken portion, he presses it even harder into my skin. At this point my throat is beginning to ache. He tosses the kunai onto the table. It skids to a halt, just narrowly avoiding falling from the table. It leaves behind a trail of blood, making my stomach flip at the sight. Ibiki steps away, heading to what I assume is the door out. I don't pay much attention, instead looking at my arm. Blood flows freely from it, staining the ground crimson..._**

...

**_ Shimon pulls the chair back onto the back legs, confusing me even further. So a gag, plus being pulled back until I can easily see the ceiling just above the table. Suspicious. Add something that was held in a bucket...fear pools in my chest. Whatever this was, it couldn't be good. Tonbo hoists the big bucket over me, poising it above my head. I hear liquid sloshing around inside. It's most likely water. A little bit of it splashes over the side, landing on my stomach. Yeah, definitely water. He glances over at Ibiki. Ibiki nods once, and the bucket's slowly upturned over my mouth. _**

**_ Water rushes over my mouth. It feels like I'm drowning and I can't breathe. I let out a muffled scream, struggling against my bonds as hard as I could. I squeeze my eyes shut. My already broken bones ache from all my movement, but I was straining them even more. And I couldn't help my reaction. The water streams down to my wounds._**

**_ That's when I realize it has salt in it._**

...

**_ Ibiki grabs my hair in his hand, jerking up until my head's painfully forced up. Inoichi, who's crouching in front of me, looks into my eyes, searching them for something. By this point, my mind and vision are so blurry and my senses impossibly alight with crippling agony that I can barely process anything. The world felt like it was swimming around me, tossing and turning and tumbling around and around until I was dizzy. Blood's trickling a path down my chin and down onto my neck, originating from my raw and bloodied lips. What I can process, though, are the hand signs Inoichi begins forming. I've seen them before. From Ino. The mind-transfer jutsu._**

...

**_ The pulling subsides after a moment. Ibiki tugs my head back, looking into my eyes. I spit out one word through the blood filling my mouth. "Fuck you," I tell him, gathering blood in my mouth and spitting it on his uniform._**

**_ He raises an eyebrow, whistling softly. He releases his hold on my hair, and my head automatically slumps forward. "Well," he says, "congrats. You made it into the Torture and Interrogation Force."_**

~SCARRED~

"...excruciating pain," I finish. "Any questions-" I stop suddenly, words and bile filling my throat. What in the hell was this feeling- overwhelming dread, like the feeling in my chest as I walked into the clan grounds to discover my slaughtered family- and then a build up of chakra, like it was when Kakashi did body flicker...

_ Kakashi..._

A loud bang sounds, and suddenly Kakashi is before me, crouched down slightly. He spots me almost instantly. Kakashi-sensei- I think. "Kimi! We're being summoned by the Hokage- there's an emergency! The Kazekage-" he tells me, grabbing my arm and pulling me along with him.

~SCARRED~

Welllll, the end? (x

I think that ending sucked, but I have only a few more minutes before I gotta get off the computer so I figured it would work. Sorry if it is disappointing!


	5. Chapter 5 A Gap

Welcome to chapter five.

It's a bit strange how this chapter went. It was supposed to cover the entire time up until they went in pursuit after Gaara, but it very clearly does not. I'm really disappointed with this chapter too, cause it's pretty damn boring. Either way, I hope it serves its main purpose, which is bringing us up to the big pursuit. Please comment and vote and enjoy this. Oh, and the song is basically entirely unrelated to the actual story. Simply one of my favorite songs by Sum 41, from their album 'All Killer, No Filler', which does sort of relate to this chapter. You know, filler.

**DISCLAIMER:** Well, no... I don't own anything.  
**WARNINGS:** Filler. Wallowing in self-pity. Also not edited.

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.**  
**_This is what memories look like._**  
_This is what thoughts or letters look like._  
_'This is what song lyrics look like.' _

~SCARRED~

_'Don't count on me,_  
_to let you know when._  
_Don't count on me,_  
_I'll do it again._  
_Don't count on me,_  
_it's the point you're missing._  
_Don't count on me,_  
_cause I'm not listening.'_

~SCARRED~

"Hai! Bye!" I reply, and in the next moment Kakashi is pulling me along with him, straight to the office of Tsunade. I keep my eyes shut for the trip, only opening them when we stop moving.

We are in Tsunade's office. I immediately form two handsigns, a signal for Makoto to follow. He would understand. Moments later, with not only my teammates but also Sakura, Shizune and Tsunade watching Makoto makes his entrance, landing perfectly beside me. He glances around, eyeing everyone. I pat his head once and he sits, eyes turning to Tsunade.

"The Kazekage has been kidnapped," she says.

~SCARRED~

After a mission briefing and being given a total of five minutes to go to our homes to get our stuff and say goodbye to our families, I sprint to my home so fast my legs blur, the three boys behind me. I burst into the main house, running straight past my brothers to get to my room. They watch me as I pass them, instantly getting the message that I was being sent out on an emergency mission. They follow me up, asking me what happened. I answer with short, choppy sentences.

"Gaara got kidnapped by the Akatsuki. I am going with a squad to get him back. Leaving in three minutes." My pack is slung over my shoulder, all my pouches strapped in place and my trench coat on. I have Makoto's pack, too. "Gotta go. I love you."

"Good luck," Daichi says, smiling softly, "We love you too."

"If you see him..." Kazuo trails off. "Bye, imouto."

I nod. If I saw Masao. "Goodbye, anikis." Then I am disappearing, running at the same pace as before to the gates where we were meeting.

I'm the first there, aside from Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san. Makoto is sitting patiently by Shizune's feet, ears perking up at my appearance. I toss his pack to him and he catches it in midair, shimmying it down until it was securely attached. Seconds later the three boys appear, all with packs slung over their shoulder. I must have been moving considerably faster than them, seeing as how they have been staying with my brothers and I at our clan grounds, just in one of the side buildings instead. There wasn't enough room for them in the main building, unless they wanted to sleep in Masao's or my parents' rooms. Which they probably wouldn't want to, anyway. My stomach still turned whenever I looked at their doorways.

"Head immediately to Sunagakure. Send updates on the state of the mission when possible. A team of five will follow you, leaving tomorrow. Depart now," Tsunade-sama says. We nod, share a brief glance, and then off we go.

~SCARRED~

"So, Ninken-san," Naruto begins conversationally, "wanna introduce yourself?"

Makoto's eyes narrow. "Why can't you introduce yourself first, Jinchūriki-baka? Why me? You got something against ninken?"

Naruto pales marginally, a ridiculous sweatdrop expression crossing his face. "No, no, gomennasai! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage! Who are you?" He accents these words by furiously shaking his head, almost getting hit in the head with a branch due to his lack of attention to what was in front of him. Entirely unsurprising.

Makoto chuckles. "Just fuckin' with you, but okay. I'm Makoto, formerly of Mizu no Kuni, but I met Oujo just under two years ago and helped her out when she needed it. Been with her since."

"Oh, got any embarrassing stories to tell?" Kakashi-sensei asks. I glare at him from the corner of my eye.

"No. He doesn't," I reply bluntly, directing my gaze back to the front. We were running at a break-neck pace towards Suna, only a few hours into our journey. Naruto, though worried, also had an insatiable natural curiosity and some nervous energy to burn. In the form of talking and asking endless questions.

"Well, actually, there was this one time not so long ago..." he trails off slightly, a bit of laughter rumbling in his chest. He completely disregards the heavy glare I directed his way, having been used to it enough after knowing me long enough and then having an innate resiliency to glares. Like Naruto was with Sasuke.

"Oh, do tell us," Naruto grins, a foxlike quality to it, the grin only faltering upon my glare being directed at him. He lets the smile go after my look at him, preferring to look elsewhere. Like at Sasuke. Still not what was in front of him, a very unwise decision when traveling at such speeds through the branches of a thick forest. As a direct result of his inattention, he knocks his head against a branch just at his forehead level. Normally, I knew he could very well dodge the branch, as well as any others in his path. But he was otherwise mentally occupied, a good part of his thinking going towards Gaara and the other part to nearly anything but Gaara.

"It was three months ago. She was out on a B-rank mission, some easy stuff. She was completing the mission with a fellow ninja from Konoha, some other high-up chunin. They were heading back to Konoha and found themselves with extra money left over for their mission ration. Seeing as how the mission had been tiring and they were still technically able to use the money they checked into an inn. The woman at the front kept referring to them as a couple, making little jokes about how cute they were. Come next morning Kimi snapped and nearly killed the woman after several attempts to correct the mistake. It was pretty damn hilarious," Makoto recalls. I, for one, personally feel like bashing my brains in right about now. Especially because of the amused laughter coming from my teammates.

"It's not funny in any way," I insist, feeling my jaw twitch with repressed anger. Naruto and Kakashi both just laugh a little bit harder, Sasuke only chuckling lightly. Most likely out of a mixture of stoic Uchiha bitchiness and self-preservation. Either way, I was partially grateful for his ability to keep himself composed. The other part of me was angry with Naruto and Kakashi for laughing so hard, Makoto for telling the story.

After the laughter subsides, we fall into a silence. It's not particularly enjoyable. There is so much we could be talking about right now, so much bond mending we could be doing- but we weren't. We weren't communicating honestly, not saying what was on our minds.

I hate this. This silence, this inability to fill the gap that formed between us. No, no, not formed- enhanced. I had always felt a minor gap between us, like I was left out of the 'team' in the smallest but strangely consequential of ways. But was it just me? Was I the only one truly upset about our distance, the careful little ways we held back with each other, kept our true emotions at bay? My heart hurts. Everything hurts. What if they always felt like this, disconnected from me and holding back, not regarding me as their teammate, part of their inseparable bond? This was not what our reunion was supposed to be like. We were supposed to be able to feel all joined together like I had built it up in my head.

Hours pass in this silence. Night begins to come, darkening the blues and bringing on the black sky. It was the perfect night for stealth- starless, cloudless, the moon nowhere in sight. Everything was still, only sounds of small animals, our footsteps and the sound of breathing reaching my ears. Nights like these happened to be my favorite sort, the relative calm being comforting.

We don't stop until it's nearly midnight. We set up camp, quickly assign watches and wolf down a bit of food before sleeping. I volunteer to go first, wanting to see just a little bit more of the sky before sleeping. Besides, a period of rest would hopefully help calm my mind and heart down. The watch was divided into blocks of one hour at a time, five hours total. Kakashi had second, Sasuke third, Naruto fourth and Makoto fifth. Mako would probably start waking us up a bit before his hour was up, so we could get back to traveling that much sooner. We have made good time so far, covering just over a third of the trip in roughly eight hours. Still, we have a lot of ground to cover and little time to do so.

I settle in for my watch, my back against the trunk of a tree on the edges of the little clearing we'd settled in. All others fall into a heavy sleep, soaking up as much energy as possible. My hour, starting as Kakashi fell asleep, goes by rather uneventfully. Nothing of consequence happens. I find myself waking Kakashi soon.

He is sleeping on a small bedroll, a bit further from the group. Not far enough to incite worry, though. I walk quietly to his side, resting a hand upon his shoulder. He is awake instantly, no sound escaping him. "Your hour," I murmur. "I'm going to sleep now."

He nods, pushing his blanket off. "Thanks. Night." I gaze at him carefully for a few simple seconds, then I nod quietly and stand, stretching a bit as I head over to my cot in between Makoto and Naruto. I pull Makoto's blanket up enough it covered him properly and then crawl beneath my own. I shut my eyes to the world and soon enough I'm asleep.

~SCARRED~

"Ne, oujo..."

Makoto's voice wakes me. I open my eyes, blinking slightly before sitting up. I am the first awake. I reach out and pet him, scratching behind his ears and around his muzzle. "Good morning," I tell him, stretching my limbs out after I finish petting him. He nudges my hand and licks me. I offer him a smile, standing. "Hungry, yeah? Just a second. Wake the others, will you?"

He nods, scampering over to the others to wake them up. He nudges them each in turn, licking Naruto's hand. No reason in particular for it, just to be annoying. I myself am crouching by Makoto's pack, getting out some food for him. He could very well do it himself but he preferred for me to do it; it was generally a bit quicker that way. Once he's woken everyone he comes back over to me. I hand him his food and begin to get ready to leave. That consisted of brushing my hair quickly, grabbing a ponytail and knotting my hair into a messy bun, pulling my trench coat on and then packing my mini-cot, consisting of only a blanket folded over.

By now the boys are mostly ready to leave as well, just stretching their muscles out a bit to get ready to begin running. Makoto is done eating. I fish out a chocolate bar from my pack and begin unwrapping it, munching on my food. After a few moments we're all packed up and ready to go. It's still dark outside, only around five thirty-ish in the morning.

We set out quickly, all really too tired to talk. And we remain in silence, too, until around noon or so. We're all definitely hungry, Makoto having begun to whine about needing food.

"I request a short break for lunch and rest. No more than five minutes is necessary," I announce. The boys give general agreements, mostly because they were hungry as well. We stop in the branches, upon which we all dig through our bags for food. Makoto gets his own easily, so I focus upon finding more than just a chocolate bar. I get a water bottle and two wrapped riceballs. They weren't what I normally would prefer but they were easy to eat and quick. No more than three minutes after stopping we are off again.

We're nearing traveling for a full day. It was going by rather quickly but I still had too much time to think about a lot of things I didn't want to think about. Like how I felt so damn awkward about being near them, about how I seemed unable to do anything to close the gap. I was well aware that it was my fault as well that we were distant. But something held me back every time.

The rest of our traveling to Suna passes without much consequence. A few words were exchanged between us every so often, but the conversation was brief. We make it to Suna in record time, reaching in two and half days instead of three. We go directly to the hospital, having been instructed that Temari and Kankuro were there, Kankuro poisoned in a fight against one of the Akatsuki.

We're directed to Kankuro's room. As we enter, though, someone...

"HATAKE! YOU WILL DIE!"

~SCARRED~

CHIYO-BAA!  
I love this obaa-sama 3 I'm excited to have her in this story.


	6. Chapter 6 Comfort

Okey, so here is something very important about this chapter- Some of the arc I did not remember so I looked it up and realized that some major edits need to be done to chapter five. So I'm about to edit those in, please go read them (:

**WARNING:** Cussing, blood, a bit of gore.  
**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto or the song (Hey Jealousy by Gin Blossoms).

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.**  
**_This is what memories look like._**  
_This is what thoughts or letters look like._  
_'This is what song lyrics look like.' _

~SCARRED~

_'If you don't expect too much from me you might not be let down.'_

~SCARRED~

Kakashi manages to block her at the last moment, making some sound akin to a squawk of indignation. "Nani?!" He asks, side stepping another of her blows.

"YOU! MORTAL ENEMY!" She shouts, diving after him again. She was just an old woman, distinctly ninja. My eyebrows are raised, a small smile tugging at my lips. Sasuke looks mildly amused, and Naruto is outright laughing.

"I have no idea who you are-"

"White Fang of Konoha-"

"That's my father, Sakumo! I'm Kakashi-"

"Liar! I'll-"

"Help!" He shouts, diving to hide behind the three of us. One of his hands grips my hip and stays there, scooting me to the side slightly so he could see past me in his crouched position.

"What do you want me to do, Kakashi-sensei?!" I ask, twisting to be able to look at him. I turn to the woman. "Listen, I don't know what happened but he's not Sakumo, he's Kakashi. The son. Surely you've heard of him? Copy Cat Kakashi?"

The old woman blinks twice. "Oh." She turns and reenters the hospital room. We trail in somewhat cautiously after her, finding the room to be in a comical sort of state. Kankuro was on his hospital cot, motionless and without any facepaint. I rather preferred him like he was now, quiet and without all the purple, though it would be more enjoyable under different circumstances. Like where Gaara hadn't been jinchuriki-napped by the Akatsuki, which my brother was amongst still and very much a member of. Over the years I'd heard about bits and pieces of his various exploits, being able to piece together a little timeline for his whereabouts and actions. With extreme difficulty, of course.

Temari held her head in her hand, appearing incredibly stressed and slightly annoyed by the woman's antics. Another older person, a man, sat in one of the waiting chairs against the wall. "Chiyo-baa-sama," Temari grits out, "this team is from Konoha. The ones being sent to rescue Gaara. These are elders in Suna," she says, the last part obviously to us.

"Konnichiwa! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto says. "The old man is Hatake Kakashi, and the two antisocials are Uchiha Sasuke and Kioku Kimiko. Kimi's ninken is Makoto."

"I'm not antisocial," I mumble. I'm deftly ignored. Chiyo peers at us carefully, eyes narrowed.

"You sure these are the right people? They don't look very tough," she asks Temari.

"We're all jonin level," Kakashi assures her, a bright little closed-eye smile on his face. She snorts and looks to Temari for confirmation.

"He's right. They are. Besides, one of them is supposed to personally know one of the members that attacked." Her tone is brusque. Makoto stiffens slightly. I barely manage not to do anything. So that meant Masao was here, huh? Either that or Itachi was. Sasuke and I share a look.

"Hum," Chiyo remarks, making no effort to see which. She just looks at Kankuro.

Makoto leaves my side, edging toward the hospital bed. He sniffs the edge of it, letting his nose edge upward to smell Kankuro himself. He makes a face and withdraws. He circles around the bed and smells Temari. Then, announcing what he's found to the room, he tells, "That's some nasty poison. But there's a way for it to be removed. Another squad from Konoha is on the way, with them a highly trained medic. She should be able to do it." With those words he nudges Temari's hand with his head and walks over to me, plopping down on the floor before my feet in an ungraceful heap.

There's a few moments of heavy, near-oppresive silence before Temari moves from the bedside of Kankuro. "Chiyo-baa-sama, Ebizo-jii-sama, please remain here while I go escort them to the briefing. After we will return." With those words she leads us from the room.

~SCARRED~

The briefing is short and to the point. Three Akatsuki members were present, one of them actually attacking Gaara, one disarming the guards, and one simply sitting there watching. The one directly attacking was blonde and used chakra-infused clay to act as explosives. The one disarming and who harmed Kankuro was a puppet user who utilized poisons heavily. The third one, the observer, was tall and darkhaired with seemingly glowing blue eyes. That was the only information they had for us, except that they were supposedly keeping him alive with no intention of having him permanently as such, just until they completed whatever goal they needed to. And the third member was definitely my brother. We also received a scrap of clothing from the puppeteer, giving us the ability to track him with ninken.

We are shown to one of the many supply posts in the Kazekage's tower building. Temari tells us to take whatever we needed without worry about repaying them. I don't take much, just a small medical kit with antiseptic and plenty of bandages. That was all I needed. The boys take what they need and we return to the hospital room of Kankuro. Makoto is still there, sleeping on the floor space at the foot of the cot.

"The other squad should be here tomorrow, right?" Temari asks.

"Yes," I reply, "bright and early. Are we free to leave now or are we staying until their arrival?"

"Free to leave. Without me," she remarks, sounding somewhat bitter. We nod.

"Then who's coming with us-" Sasuke begins.

"I am," Chiyo-sama answers. She's standing in the doorway of Kankuro's room, eyeing all of us carefully.

"Makoto, stay here, will you? You'll be able to help Sakura when she gets here," I ask him. He doesn't seem very happy about it, grumbling under his breath about missing out on all of the action and never getting to do anything fun. After his complaints he grudgingly agrees and settles back down for even more sleep. Then we set out.

Kakashi's ninken lead us through the forest. Chiyo-baa accompanied us, talking with Kakashi about the Akatsuki and their potential plans for the jinchuriki. Naruto and Sasuke are directly before them. I am in the back, observing all of them. Chiyo prattles on about the jinchuriki. I'm sure at some point through the conversation Naruto begins to cry. I am not paying much attention, not that I honestly needed to. I'd catch it all anyway.

I think of my brother. Masao. The direct cause of my misery. I still felt an acidic burning in my stomach at any mention of him or my family members. His insanity, the bipolar qualities he held. How he was incredibly sorry but harmed me with a sadistic gleam that told me otherwise.

The acid eats away at my stomach, my esophagus, my tongue and teeth and mouth and lips until I cannot hold my words in, talking so quickly so maybe my mouth wouldn't feel like it was burning up and falling apart. "It's me," I blurt. Chiyo looks back at me curiously, like I was crazy. "When Temari said one of us knew one of the attackers. It's me. His name is Masao and he's my older brother. Since I knew him he had essentially mastered three chakra affinities- earth, water and fire. He is best with ninjutsu and genjutsu. Taijutsu is his weakness. He's sadistic and relies mostly upon speed, instead of strength. The key to defeating him would be to move faster than he does. As a memory keeper it is pointless to use genjutsu against him. If it comes down to killing him out of all of us either Sasuke-kun, Kakashi-sensei or I have the best chance, seeing as Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei have the Sharingan and I have the same memory keeper abilities. If it comes to it I would prefer being the one fighting him, as I know his abilities the most."

Chiyo's eyes narrow. "Your brother, huh? Wouldn't be surprised if you kept contact with him-"

I cut her off smoothly. "Please do not assume anything of me, Chiyo-sama. He murdered almost my entire family." With those words, said serenly, I keep moving.

Though it was still before noon, the other team should be arriving at our position shortly. We keep moving through the trees, not willing to stop or slow down. We don't have much of a choice, though, because suddenly before us is Uchiha Itachi.

Sasuke's eyes blaze red with the Sharingan, the tomoes spinning rapidly with blind fury. Itachi's eyes slide over us, settling finally on Sasuke. No expression comes across his face at his little brother's eagerness to kill him. He opens his mouth and speaks, the heavy words resounding through the clearing.

"Foolish otouto."

~SCARRED~

_Dear Team Seven,_

_It's Kimi._

_Again._

_Six months and two weeks' worth of letters and not a single reply. I wonder why? And does it matter? Whatever. I've recently gotten a ninken. His name is Makoto, I think you would like him. Maybe even your ninken would like him, too, Kakashi-sensei. Though I'm sure Makoto could eat Pakkun for lunch and have plenty of room left over._

_I really like Makoto. I've known him for a mere week, true, but it's been an extremely busy week and he's been here for me. Y'know, like I'm wishing you guys wilk be. He's huge. But he's sort of like Naruto, in terms of personality. Incredibly determined but exceedingly dense sometimes._

_Anyway, I'm attaching a photo of him within. He didn't enjoy it - he's not a fan of bathing, though he doesn't necessarily mind getting his coat brushed. And before the picture I insisted on both._

_Well, I have to leave. He's whining for some more food. I end the letter here._

_Kimi._

~SCARRED~

**_The rain was endless._**

**_For six hours it poured down, covering my tracks and, for the last two hours, helping hide me in the cramped alcove of a tree. There was barely enough room for me, my legs crushed to my chest and my head tucked in, but it was all I had. In my pouch was a precious scroll containing secrets to a valuable jutsu. It was captured from a small temple on an outlying island of Mizu no Kuni. _**

**_I was alone. I got separated from the rest of my squad during an incident with a powerful water-user. The one I was running from now. In case of a separation my squad agreed on meeting at a seemingly nondescript cave about ten miles from my current position. But I couldn't run anymore, not until the blinding, freezing and disorienting rain let up and not until I shook off my pursuer. Which I wasn't sure how I was going to do._**

**_Thirty minutes pass and I feel an approaching chakra signature. I clamp down on mine desperately as I recognize it- one of the people chasing me. The one in specific was a supporter of violent deaths, it seemed. I squeeze tighter inside the hollow, as disguised as I could be. He slows as he approaches me and my heartbeat races wildly in my chest. He glances around, coming to a full stop. He keeps looking around searchingly, like he's trying to pinpoint my location. I resist the urge to swallow heavily. He freezes, his head titled sideways like he's trying to listen to some far away noise._**

**_And then he laughs._**

**_Seconds later his laughing face appears before me, his teeth looking razor sharp in his insane grin. I feel like screaming. He grabs at my ankle. I kick him in his face, twisting my leg to keep it from his grasp. His hand, fingernails like claws, find my leg and sink in, pulling me roughly from the tree._**

**_I fall to the ground, struggling to catch myself and land properly. I barely make it and as soon as I hit the ground so does he, standing upright and at a distinct advantage. He grabs me by the hair and smashes my face into the nearest tree trunk, dropping my head. I fall to the ground again but scramble to get up through the kicks to my rib cage. He picks me up again, this time by my throat. I punch him with a chakra infused fist. His grip loosens on me, through which I wriggle out of his hold and back away, forming shaky hand signs. The rain is still pouring down, mixing with the blood trickling from my mouth and nose._**

**_My head is ringing and my face aches with pain. The man grabs me again, claws digging into my throat. He presses inwards on my trachea, drawing forth blood. I finish the last of my hand signs and Raikiri comes to life in my palm. I instinctively press the orb of lightning in on his chest, clearing the width and my hand showing through on the other side. My hand and wrist and lower arm is covered in blood and bits of muscle and internal organs, just barely clearing the spine but destroying several ribs._**

**_His eyes widen and he dies almost instantly, body flopping inwards on me. He sizzles under the rain as it hits his exposed internal organs, the electrical current still partially racking his lifeless corpse. The smell is horrible. I push him off with my clean hand and he falls to my feet, blood sloshing out onto the ground. I sink to my knees and curl in on myself once again. I bring my gore-covered hand to rest on my knees. The rain rinses it off slowly. I close my eyes as the cold seeps into my bones. Dosu's death plays through my mind again and again, the smell and sight and sound not entirely similar to what it was now but too close for comfort._**

**_The first tear falls shortly after the realization that I had no Team Seven waiting for me, wanting to comfort and help me. And that I couldn't do the same for them when they needed it, because they'd been gone for over a year and weren't anywhere close enough to me for it to count._**

~SCARRED~

Well here ya go (: Comment and vote pretty please?


	7. Chapter 7 Ominous

Welcome to chapter seven (: Please enjoy it.

**WARNING:** Deidara ^^  
**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Naruto or the song (Lightning Crashes by Live).

**Anything in bold is important or with emphasis.**  
**_This is what memories look like._**  
_This is what thoughts or letters look like._  
_'This is what song lyrics look like.' _

~SCARRED~

_'I can feel it, coming back again, like the rolling thunder chasing the wind.'_

~SCARRED~

Uchiha Itachi is one ominous motherfucker.

He didn't glance at me, or Chiyo. His eyes were on Sasuke, Naruto and Kakashi only. So once again I was being overlooked. That set my blood to boiling. From the way Kakashi was holding us back, more specifically me (his arm was splayed out directly in front of me, having glanced from the corner of his eye), the chances of me releasing some of that tension on fighting Itachi was not likely in the slightest.

Great. I would say I was being underrated again but seeing as how Itachi was not the one for me to fight, but for Sasuke (though not now), I would have to deal. And I wanted to keep my strength up for when I would fight Masao, most likely later today if he was still at the cave with Gaara and the other Akatsuki.

"Kimi-chan," Kakashi murmurs. "Keep Sasuke back, will you? If you can."

"Hai," I respond, my voice clipped and emotionless. I turn to Sasuke. He's glaring directly at Itachi, Sharingan spinning rapidly. I frown. I didn't want to disable him completely by using a mind block, because then he wouldn't be able to fight as easily if needed. But I could. His muscles are tense and so are mine. I would have to physically hold him back. Words wouldn't cut it this time.

I pay half attention to Itachi the entire time, my eyes staying focused on Sasuke instead. Itachi's words briefly process in my head, dismissed once understood and then not drawn upon again. I note the way he points at Naruto. And how Naruto Rasengan'd the empty air. He was likely under a genjutsu, but my watchful eye was the only thing preventing Sasuke from attacking Itachi and I couldn't possibly look away.

Itachi finally turns to Sasuke again. "Foolish otouto. You are not strong enough to beat me." Sasuke snarls and charges forward. I grab his wrist as he takes his first leap towards Itachi, and when he struggles I increase the pressure, a clear promise that if he moved I'd break his wrist. If he doubted my willingness to hurt him in order to hold him back like Kakashi asked me to before he didn't now.

A muscle in his leg twitched and he was about to attempt escape. I send a mental block through to his head, giving him pause long enough for me to properly hold him back, kneeling on the ground with his hands twisted behind his back and held in place by my near bone-crushing grip. He growls at me. "What the fuck?"

"I'm only listening to Kakashi," I respond.

"But you should fucking understand! I need to do this!" He hisses, trying to twist his wrists around. I smirk at the back of his head and tighten my grip ever so slightly.

"I do. But now is not the time. Your allegiance is to Konoha. Your priority is carrying out your assigned missions above all else, avoiding conflict if necessary and obeying your superiors. And doing your damndest to put your teammates and mission above any personal motives you might have. Like protecting Naruto. Right? Or no?"

He growls once again but doesn't struggle anymore. After a few tense moments I release him. Then he stands smoothly, approaches Naruto's stiff form, and knocks him on the head with his fist to force his chakra . Naruto jerks once and his eyes fly open. He looks at Sasuke, then over to me. Then to Chiyo and finally Itachi. "Where's his clone?" He asks.

"There is none," Sasuke replies. He's about to add something on to that but then Kakashi is jumping backwards and digging his heels into the ground, bits of dirt flying about.

"Naruto!" He shouts. "Get it together! Are you ready?"

"Hai!" Naruto shouts. Kakashi charges toward Itachi, the latter forming several rapid hangsigns. He spits fire out, Kakashi dodging each fireball in his path. Itachi does another jutsu, a great fireball. Chiyo, Sasuke and I withdraw into the treeline. The smoke clears and Kakashi is standing with Raikiri blazing away in his palm, leaping forward to attack Itachi. He is dodged, of course, and Naruto attacks from above with a Rasengan. Smoke fills the clearing and a massive shockwave from the force of Naruto's jutsu blasts through the trees. I wince and lay back against a tree, shielding my eyes from the raw power.

I turn my head ever so slightly in Sasukes direction and whisper, "I feel useless."

Out of the corner of my eye I see him nod in agreement, making a brief smile threaten to show on my lips. But then the transient happiness finally dissipates at the clearing of the smoke to reveal Itachi just standing there and neither Kakashi nor Naruto in sight. I feel my heart pause momentarily. I turn to Sasuke. He's watching the scene with extreme displeasure. His blood was probably boiling with hatred right now, as mine would be if Masao were here.

Every time I thought of Masao I wondered how it was I could be related to him, how he got so fucked up, and how painful his death would be. I would say I would prefer slowly and agonizingly but I would rather him completely dead than still breathing as he was now. I wish my brothers were here to aid me in my fight against him. That would certainly make it easier. As I had it worked out in my head now, I would fight Masao alone while Kakashi and one of the boys fought one of the other Akatsuki memIbers and Chiyo and whoever between Sasuke and Naruto didn't go with Kakashi fought the other member. Because they were sure to be there, to flaunt the death of Gaara in our faces and mock our inability to reach him sooner.

I look up to the sky. It was edging towards noon. How much longer would this last?

~SCARRED~

As the smoke from Naruto's Oodama Rasengan clears, we join the two of them in the clearing. A body lays in a trench, twisted and bloodied. But it's not Itachi's.

"Do you recognize him?" Kakashi asks Chiyo. After a moment of pause, she nods.

"Yuura. A jounin from my village," she remarks. I look back to the body. He was obviously dead. Blood covered his face and his form was crumpled, one of his arms bent at an awkward angle. That must have been a sudden death. I wonder if he could feel it, if he had any conscious thought?

Either way, it was done and over now. We were still pursuing Gaara. And he was our priority.

~SCARRED~

"I can do it."

"Hm? Really?" Naruto asks, his voice full of curiosity. I look over at him. His bright blue eyes are alive with the same curiosity in his voice.

I nod, turning back to look at the enormous rock blocking the cave entrance. "Yes. I can destroy it. Everyone, please stand back."

After some hesitation they stand a decent distance away. I turn to the large rock before me. Time to get rid of it. I form the proper hand signs and murmur, "Boil Release." As the words leave my lips acidic mist emanates from my mouth. I kick the pH up until the rock begins melting. Once all that's left in its place is molten bits of rock, I adjust the pH so the mist is harmless and release the jutsu. The mist dissipates and the rest of the group rejoins me.

Ignoring the obvious looks of surprise from certain members of this group, I keep my gaze upon the entrance. Finally the vapor is gone, revealing three key things. A blonde wearing an Akatsuki cloak, the giant form of what looked like a doubled over man who was also wearing an Akatsuki cloak. And then Gaara's corpse, laid out like some sick sort of trophy. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes from the feelings of anger and disgust but I push them away as well as memories of a mission we'd completed in tandem. I can also feel the immense fury, sorrow and pain emanating from Naruto, turbulent waves of hatred flowing from him. His eyes were locked in on the Akatsuki members. The blonde one smiles. "Nice of you to join us, hm," he says. "Though it's a little late."

"Shut up!" Naruto shouts, his voice radiating everything he felt.

The blonde just laughs. His blue-eyed gaze flickers over to me. "Oh, you're Masao's kid sister, right, hm? Well, you're a lot older, hm, than I thought you'd be. He talks about you. Says you're useless, hm. I wonder if that's true?"

I keep my face straight, but that doesn't stop the dry laughter from escaping my mouth. "Masao's an idiot," I say as he laughs, yet again, upon hearing my response. It seems brother dearest wasn't all that loved by this blonde.

The other Akatsuki member grunts. "Shut up, gaki!"

The blonde scowls. "Whatever, Danna, hm. Now, let's start, shall we?"

~SCARRED~

_ Dear Team Seven, _

_ Nearly two years since I've seen you. I miss you. I just got back from Kiri, so I'm tired, but I wanted to write this letter anyway. It's been a month since I last wrote you anything. _

_ I know some people think I'm strange, because I keep writing to you three. Like Sakura. She doesn't hate me but she doesn't feel very comfortable around me either. I make her ill at ease. And she feels bad for me - I can always see it in her eyes. Others give me pitying looks sometimes. It upsets me. I don't want them. Especially not when they come from Hinata. Those pale eyes look too mournful. She should be happy, she deserves it. She's grown so much, gained more confidence and she doesn't faint at all anymore. _

_ And then there is the look Iruka-sensei gives me. It's almost as bad as the look Hinata gives me. His eyes fill up with pity and sorrow and I want to run away from him and burn out the memory. But I don't and can't. Then the next time we saw each other he'd give me one that was even worse than before, one that will make me miss you even more. _

_ One person never gives me any looks. That's Neji. He doesn't scold me for smoking. He never ever mentions anything about the scars covering my body. Or anything about my family or you three. Not a single word. He acts like the scars aren't there and like you never existed. He's helping me train to be a jonin and he's one of the most understanding people ever. He understands I don't want to think about it or acknowledge it and I sure as hell don't want pitying looks from everyone. That's not to say that most people never look at me normally - they do. The pitying looks come only when people remember what happened. But I still don't want them. I feel uncomfortable. It feels wrong. _

_ I'm going to sleep now. Goodbye. _

_ -Kimi. _

~SCARRED~

Ta-da!

I owe the success of this story to Lainjukinjs ^^ she's awesome.

So, OCs (two of them) will be introduced in the near-future. For one of them you readers are given the choice of picking the name. The options are either Kasumi or Kiri (the OC is female). Please comment your favorite name. I would really appreciate it.

REVIEW RESPONSES:

I forgot to do any for the previous chapters, so here they are now:

Anon: Thank you so very much ^^ hearing that means a lot to me, makes me really happy and makes writing this worth it.

visitor: me too :D

Chester-Grey: Weelllll I completely forgot. So I'll go do it now. Thank you for reminding me (:

WhenTwoTearsFall: The intro is supposed to be a bit long, refreshing some things about the story that are relevant. Like a brief review of the major events, adding in how Makoto came to be around Kimi, and then her interrogation, the starting point of her major growth. And Makoto is a ninken. And I agree with you on the opening ^^ And no. The whole point of them operating separately was that they were underrating her, believing that with all the sumy'd grown they could take her down individually. And Kakashi is dense. Main point of this, still underrating her and slowly coming to view her as an equal, even as perhaps surpassing him in terms of ability. And also for the majority of the quotes I either do state in the beginning, I came up with myself, or it's a common saying (like 'Be yourself, by yourself'. I originally heard it in a song ('Walk' by Pantera) but upon further research I discovered it was a common saying, so I saw no point in citing).

Ergelina: Is that a good thing? I hope (: thank you for your review!

Luna Silveria: :D here is your update!


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